Deal with the Devil
by Inuki Ookami
Summary: Jou Joey x Seto Yaoi Shounenai Jou finds his fate rests in the hands of his friend Yugi in a single duel, only this time it's against Kaiba, not Duke, and a lot more is at stake than just Jou wearing a dog suit...
1. Prologue : 0

**.: Deal With the Devil :.**

**Published:** Nov : 15 : 04  
**Pairings:** Seto x Jou  
**Archive? **Just tell me first, I'm likely to let you if you're site is nice.  
**Disclaimer:** Seto and Jou are't mine, yaddah yaddah, sex and drugs are bad, yaddah yaddah. You know the gist of it. .;;

**prologue : 0 ******

.: Author's Note :.

_The bad: For all those who are still annoyed at me for not updating High in Calcium, with deepest regret, I have to admit, it is currently on suspension until further notice if not forever, for several reasons. For one thing, I have not been doing much writing lately- I have been pretty much consumed with schoolwork and fitting in a bit of oekakiing and writing poetry on the side. My second reason is that I got rather bored with where the plot was going, so until I find a better direction to take it, I will not be working on it._

_Now, onto the good part: I am going to try to get back into writing again- almost two years since I wrote my first fanfiction ever. As always, I do not write for the reviews, but I do enjoy most feedback, positive or negative. As long as you are not harsh without justification, though, I prefer serious criticism (so instead of "OMG! U suck!" I'd prefer "I didn't like Chapter 1 because the characterization of Yugi was poor" o.O;; )_

_Anyway, I hope people like this story more than High in Calcium, so they will bug me to update something I actually enjoy writing. ;;_

(all errors held within this text are the fault of... the evil plot ninjas!!!)

-

Seto Kaiba sat at the desk, his solemn eyes shaded over by his brown bangs. His deep blue eyes were intensely focused on a mess of papers spread wildly all over the desk. The boy had his laptop open, and was furiously typing away, pausing every now and then to flip through the paperwork. The papers themselves were full of endless logistics. Number after number seemed to go on endlessly, and often the youth would have to strain his eyes just to read the tiny scribbles on each sheet. From time to time he would shuffle a few papers, so as to keep them in order. The teenager's eyes were as firmly set as his determination. He continued flipping through page after page, recording things on the lap-top. Kaiba had been working at his desk for what seemed like forever. Heavy bags lined his upper cheeks, framing his eyes a dim grey. The brown-haired boy cursed, then looked from his lap-top to his papers, then back and forth again. Quite suddenly he threw the papers off the desk in annoyance; they fluttered to the ground in a mess of tangled hopes. Finally, under his breath he began to speak to himself out of frustration.

"There must be some way... yet no matter how many times I look through the statistics reports from these duels I can't seem to understand them. Any time Yugi is cornered he finds a way back. It seems impossible... how can he always have a winning hand? It doesn't even seem possible... He is a mere child- surely he can not be the master strategist he seems to be... there must be some trick. No one could have beaten Pegasus like that." The sapphire-eyed boy still shuddered in thought at that name, and the events linked around it. Pegasus- the creator of Duel Monsters, the same bastard who had kidnapped his dear brother... and who had inevitably intertwined his fate once again with the boy named Yugi and his companions.

With a slow sigh, Seto Kaiba looked back at his lap-top again.

"There is no rhyme or reason to this- how he always comes out on the top- I've heard him preach of the 'Heart of the Cards', but I can not believe that garbage. Yet, without cards, they can have no heart. Without a deck, Yugi can not win- he would be powerless. Perhaps that is the only way then... such a blow could alone shatter his confidence." A small smirk appeared on the boy's face, and he went back to his lap-top again, agonizing over every little detail. He would fight Yugi; face Yugi to take his deck! Then he would be supreme indeed.


	2. Fair Trade : 1

**.: Deal With the Devil :.**

**Published:** Nov : 15 : 04  
**Pairings:** Seto x Jou  
**Archive? **Just tell me first, I'm likely to let you if you're site is nice.  
**Disclaimer:** Seto and Jou are not mine. Boys with other boys is not for everyone, though they should be. etc.

**Fair Trade : 1 ******

.: Author's Note :.

_O.k. This chapter you, the readers get a choice based on your comments. Would you like the next chapter to actually be a logical and in-depth description of the duel? (that might take a while and some research because I have never played the card game, and I haven't seen much of the show recently... I have no idea who has which cards for the most-part, etc.) or shall I just skip to the end of the duel and show you what happens afterward? This is pretty vital to the story... So please tell me immediately after you've finished reading this chapter. uu;; Thanks for your input! nn_

**Responses to Reviews:  
**Yes, just like High in Calcium, I hope to respond to every one of my readers, because I love you all that much! .-

**Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu** and **Johnny-Depp-Luv:** Thanks! I'm updating right now! n.n;;

**Tara.B Amy:** I'll do my best to make this one longer (and better) than HiC. nn;; blushes Thank you for all your kind comments... I hope that I am not too out of the loop as far as getting into character with Jou and Seto... it's been a while. My oekakiies aren't currently posted anywhere in particular, and I've been working on a poetry site / novels / and other various things, so I haven't had a time to put up an art site. uu;; If you want to see some of my oekakiies, you'd have to contact me via e-mail, msn, or whatever.

(all errors held within this text are the fault of Stacey Cochran!!! "I was just trying to make friends, you jerk!")

-

My back is still slightly sore from last night, but I try not to think of it. Sometimes if I forget what my father does to me, it makes it seem as though it isn't really as bad as it is. Sometimes, if I pretend I'm okay, the tears don't come as frequently when I lay alone on that sorry excuse for a bed, in my cold room at night. Sometimes it is easier to face the next day without wanting to go jump off a bridge or slit my wrists or some other laughably clichéd thing. But I know those ways are weak and silly. If I were going to go it would have to be something more interesting. But all that just makes me wonder what I was even doing considering committing such a deed. Often I just wanted so badly to escape- to turn and run away from my life, because I knew it was too hard to face my problems.

A lot of the time I just took the pain and tried to bear it. I didn't like it, but there was really nothing that I could do; I'm sure if my friends knew they would say that there was nothing worse than being beaten, except being beaten and feeling nothing. But that is just how I felt, numb- inside and out, as though my energy had been stolen, my innocence gone. I was a hollowed out shell, bereft of life, devoid of emotion. My friends, my poor friends. If they only knew... I am sure they would have been mortified. They wouldn't be able to understand why I couldn't just tell them- or why I couldn't get help. Not that real help is easy to find anyway.

I decided that it would be better if I just forgot about my situation at home for the day, and tried to relax instead. I was sick to the point of exhaustion of putting on those fake smug grins. I wanted mine to be real for once. I wanted to forget all my problems and faults and be on top of the world. The bell awoke me from my thoughts, signaling the end of the class and the beginning of the lunch hour. I always found that one funny. Bell rings, I salivate. Sort of like that Pavlov guy and his dog. You know? We learned about that in Science last week. I wasn't really paying much attention though, as usual. Something about the medusa oblong in the brain triggering these gland things in the mouth. Ah, I'm terrible at Science, as anyone can probably tell. Actually, I've always been terrible at school in general, but that's probably because I never pay attention in class anyway. School is so boring.

As I packed my books into my bag, and pocketed my pencil, I slipped my knapsack strap over one shoulder and casually slung it over my back. I stood up and walked out of the classroom along with the other students. When I reached the doorway, I got out to the hallway, upon which I saw a familiar flash of color that I would recognize anywhere. Nobody had hair like my friend Yugi; he certainly was a unique person with his own sense of style.

"Hey Yug!" I called out to him, but the halls were so crowded he couldn't hear me. I tried to catch his attention by waving, but he had already rounded the corner and couldn't see me. I hastily pushed past a group of younger boys and fled after my friend, my feet skittering along the ground. As I sloppily rounded the corner, I crashed into a figure with a coat so long it almost appeared to be a cape. What maniac wore a coat that long- oh... wait! I had just answered the question for myself. What other maniac than Seto Kaiba himself? As I regained my balance and brushed myself off, I saw a wry grin forming on the corners of his mouth.

"You'd better watch it, mongrel; you might run into your death like that some day." He sneered. Ugh. The stupid brown-haired idiot, again! Why couldn't he just leave me alone? It was as if he had been waiting for me to crash into him, just so he could taunt me about it! As if he had perfectly calculated the exact timing, for the sole purpose of mocking me. Why did he always have to act this way? Couldn't he be civil for once? His voice leaked sarcasm half the time, and the rest of the time he was just plain insulting or rude. Why couldn't he just go sit quietly and tap away on his stupid computer brainlessly? Why did he have to pick on me?

"Oh, yeah?" I shouted, raising two fists toward him. At first he looked a bit shocked, and I was almost pleased that I had gotten some kind of a reaction. A moment later I realized it was only in jest, he was mocking me. He began to speak in an outrageously exaggerated manner, sarcasm pouring out of his mouth like water to a faucet.

"Oh no! What ever will I do?" He put his hands on his hips and sneered at me as he continued. "Is that the best you can come up with, dog? I thought even a fool like you might have something interesting to say for once." And then he began to shake with laughter.

"Why the hell are you laughing? What's so funny? Why don't you just shut your big mouth for once!" I shouted back, glaring at him. I couldn't stand him, I just wanted to hit him... or... or something! I wanted to react so badly, but I knew that was just the weak way out. Yugi once told me that Kaiba kept at it like that only because he knew he got a reaction from me. I had to stop giving him any reactions- but it was so hard to ignore him... especially after I ran into him. Dang! Yugi! In the midst of all this, I had forgotten my friend. Well, I'd catch up with him at the cafeteria later or something.

"Oh, nothing. I just had an... interesting idea." The brunette snickered to himself as he walked off. All the blood had rushed to my face in anger, and my clenched fists were numb from so much exerted pressure. I tried to take a few breaths and calm down. As I looked around I could see quite clearly that the entire section of the hallway was staring at me, and at Kaiba's retreating form.

"What the hell are you all lookin' at?" I sneered at them, and stumbled off to the cafeteria.

-

"I saw you in the hall, and I tried ta tell you to wait up- but I guess ya didn't hear me." I said as I sat down next to my friend, Yugi, who was already busy engaging in a game of Duel Monsters with a boy I'd never seen before.

"Oh, I'm sorry Joey, I was just so eager to duel! You know how it is..." He trailed off, pausing momentarily before eating his lunch and returning to the game again.

Yeah, I knew how it was, I thought with a sigh. Our lunch was so short that he barely had time to eat his lunch and have fun, nevermind have time for his friends. So I sat there, dejectedly next to him while I watched him play. Usually nothing stops me from eating, but after that sudden incident with Seto Kaiba, and now this... my stomach felt sick already. I didn't want to put any food into it, no matter how hungry I might have been. As I tried to calm down, so I silently took mental notes as my friend duelled. He was undefeated as of yet in my eyes- unless you could count that lowlife Kaiba's threat of suicide back in Duellist Kingdom, forcing poor Yugi's hand. He had played on Yugi's weakness, an under-handed tactic, indeed. It had been no better than Mai's original trick to make people lose the nerve to duel by perfuming each card so she knew which card was which without looking- or worse yet, Panic, who hid like a coward in the darkness to try and instill fear in his opponents. Unlike them, however, Kaiba had been trying to save his brother... argh! Why was I thinking about that jerk again? Why couldn't I get the Blue Eyes White Dragon owner out of my head? I shook my head at myself, muttering, and then tried to watch the duel ahead of me more carefully. I could never have gotten to second place in Duellist Kingdom without Yugi nursing me along- we both knew that... and no matter how often I won a duel, I always knew I had Yugi to thank for it; my friend would always claim it was no doing of his, and that I was the one who had really defeated my opponent, but the fact that he had both helped me as a mentor and stood as an idol appeared to be evidence enough of his influence.

As the duel came to a close, ironically not too long after it had begun, I gave a brief smile, and all previous memories of my brown-haired tormenter had flitted out of my mind almost entirely. The other boy had put up a fair fight against my friend, but per usual, Yugi had proven himself to be the master. The boy admitted a gracious defeat and Yugi gave a heart-warming smile, saying that he hoped to duel the other boy again soon. By this time, as during most lunches, a small crowd of children had surrounded the duel in admiration; traditionally, any duel with Yugi was something certainly worthy of observing. When Yugi duelled it was like a world-renowned musician tuning up a violin, or an artist's practice sketches; one shuddered in fear and pure awe to wonder what the full extent of his duelling would be like. If a famous violinist's playing was beautiful and elegant and perfectly refined, and an artist's masterpiece was glorious and communicated its artistic attempt flawlessly, then surely an all-out duel on Yugi's part would be more graceful than the most skilled dancer's performance, more intellectual than the most able philosopher's argument, and more beautiful than the most heart-breaking symphony or piece of art.

I was foolish to have attempted to disintegrate all thoughts of one of Yugi's greatest rivals moments before, and I was rudely awakened by this fact as the swift and curled edges of a coat swung into view. With that coat followed a silver briefcase, which was placed gently enough as so not to damage the table, but roughly enough as to make a rather disconcerting sound. I looked up, shocked; there, before me, stood the brown-haired boy who had haunted me in the hallway earlier.

"Kaiba?" Yugi asked, looking up at him. It was rare that Seto Kaiba himself would ever talk to Yugi, that was for certain. Usually it was the other way around, Yugi trying to lend a hand or a word of advice to Kaiba, who refused it, being Kaiba after all. This time something was clearly different. Kaiba's words from earlier echoed in my head as if in warning: 'Oh, nothing. I just had an... interesting idea'. Somehow I did not like the amiguity of the phrase. It had left a mark in my head like a bitter food, tainting your tongue dry.

"I challenge you to a duel, Yugi. Out back of the school, after classes end for the day." The brunette boy said firmly, in that sinister voice of his. Was I just imagining things, or did his eyes shift over to me near the end of the line? It seemed as that cruel smirk crossed his face, that he was looking at me, rather than my friend. Of course, that may be dismissed, as he turned abruptly as he finished speaking, and then strode off, his long cape of fabric trailing behind. He hadn't even given Yugi a chance to accept; of course, it seemed as though Yugi couldn't back out from a challenge by Kaiba anyhow. It would have been something of a scandal.

"Yug? Are ya okay?" I asked quietly, turning to look at my friend, who seemed stunned. I had rarely seen Yugi so paralyzed with shock.

"Yes... Joey. I think I'll be fine. I'll see you after school, okay?" He replied, right before the bell conveniently rang, urging us to class before I could form a reply.

The crowd dispersed, collapsing into chatter as soon as the figure of the cerulean-eyed boy had sauntered off, and I stood rather shakily from my seat. First the earlier confrontation with Kaiba in the hallway, now this; what under-handed tactic did Kaiba have planned this time? Whatever it was, I didn't like the sound of it. It was frustrating how Kaiba always seemed to attack Yugi, who was completely innocent. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. Sure, Yugi was the best duelist, but Kaiba had been beaten many a time by Yugi already, so why did he have to keep trying to make my friend's life miserable? Especially when Yugi had gone out of his way to help the brown haired boy!

-

Class had been miserable, I thought as I ripped down the hallway like a bat come straight from hell. I had sat in class moping, my head perched on the table, sunken into my arms. The teacher had been especially boring. The slightest beam of elegant sunlight streaming through the window played gently on my face. I twitched my nose slightly and almost felt like sneezing for a second, but didn't. I tried to sit up, restlessly, but found myself just collapsing back down again with a heavy sigh. I was so impatient! Why couldn't class end? Why couldn't class end? Where was the bell when I needed it? I stared at the clock so long it seemed like forever as the seconds passed...

But finally the moment came when it was time to go! I nearly shot up out of my seat like a bullet, and then, sprinted out of the class in a matter of moments. By the time I had gotten there, however, it seemed Kaiba was already waiting in the courtyard. I watched as a crowd began to gather, quite a large one at that. If Yugi lost this duel, it could be the end of him as the master of all duellists.

"Come to cheerlead, mutt?" Kaiba shot a vicious grin at me. I balled up my fists, and I'm sure my whole face went red right then, but I knew I had to restrain myself. I had to listen to what Yugi had said. Besides... Yugi would defeat Kaiba! I was sure of that. My friend was undefeatable. It simply wasn't possible. He was just like that Titanic ship!

"Shaddap Kaiba! You've got more mouth than brains, and my pal Yug is gonna wipe the floor wit you!" I growled back. He only laughed, but didn't respond. I knew my hackles were raised, but I had to hold myself back from getting into a fight with the guy. After what seemed like forever, Yugi somberly made his way to the centre of the crowd, where Kaiba stood, a wooden table between the two. Yugi had that very mature, grim face he always put on whenever he duelled. His eyes moved back and forth briefly, but he was not one to be intimidated by a crowd.

"Shall we do this then?" My friend asked. Kaiba's only response was a soft nod. The two sat down at the table, and drew their decks. I was glad Kaiba hadn't tried to use that awful duel disk technology, because frankly I didn't trust that equipment entirely. Kaiba had unlocked and opened his metal briefcase and taken out a particular deck of cards in a container. I was certain he was keeping his three Blue Eyes White Dragons in that container.

"Before we begin, I must state the rules for this match. Supposing that you win, then you remain the King of Games. If, by chance, you loose, I get both your entire deck, your title as Master Duelist... and your mutt." The ruthless brunette sneered as he spoke. He seemed to really be enjoying the entire thing. I was totally shocked. Had I heard him right? The guy was off his rocker! What made him think Yugi would duel at those kinds of stakes?

"What? Joey... what do you want with him?" Yugi quirked an eyebrow. He spoke in a mature, seemingly lower voice. Or perhaps that was just my mind playing tricks on me. It was hard to tell, since I was so shocked from Kaiba's demands. "Your duel is with me, Kaiba. You have no business with my friends."

"Oh, but I do. That pathetic dog of your that follows you around, wagging its tail keeps getting in my way. I'm far more interested in your title, but why not kill two bothersome mongrels with one stone?" The blue-eyed boy laughed viciously for a moment, then returned to his icy cool facial expression.

"I wouldn't put my friend's life in jeopardy for a duel! If you insist upon this obscene prize, then I refuse to duel." My friend proclaimed, swiping his fist across the air as though to express how outrageous Kaiba's logic was. Somehow I knew Yugi would act this way. He was never one to take friendship lightly.

"Look around you, Yugi. If you back out now, you'll not only be the laughing stock of the entire school, but also to anyone who plays Duel Monsters in the entire world. You will bring shame upon both yourself and your friends. Besides, would you really like everyone to think that you let me defeat you in a duel?" A wry grin was forming on the bastard's face again. Damn that Kaiba! Just because he was the CEO of his own corporation, he thought he was hot stuff. But he wasn't. He was just a kid like Yugi and myself. I was sure that some day Kaiba's pride would undo him.

"I am sorry, Kaiba. That is not enough to convince me. Perhaps you don't understand Kaiba, but my friends are more important any duel." I smiled softly. That was the Yugi I knew. He wouldn't let Kaiba get to him! He would face the brunette's icy cold nature with his own calm and effective logic.

"Ah, but you will lose your title as well." The brunette threw back at my friend. I was sure that this also would not persuade my friend into the duel. Yugi's title and his pride were one thing, but the bond between him to all of his friends was far too strong a thing for him to ever sacrifice it over such things. Yugi was one of my closest friends, if not my best friend, and I knew what his values were.

"Kaiba... you are testing my nerves. My friendship with Joey is greater than any title will ever be." My friend spoke with conviction in his voice, but Kaiba was still determined. I think there were a few gasps from the crowd at Yugi's nobility, or perhaps people just thought he was insane to value his friends over so great a title. At any rate, I was too engaged in the situation to understand the feelings of a spectator.

"Yugi, I think it is you who does not grasp the entirety of this situation. If you refuse to duel you will not only lose your title by forfeit, but you will also have to give up your deck." Kaiba was smug, and growing progressively more so as he continued to speak. It was becoming rather frustrating. In fact, I really just push my friend aside, and go punch the rude brown-haired boy in the face right then and there. That aught to end it.

"Even my deck will never be as important as my bond to my friends." Yugi said solemnly, looking down at his deck for a brief moment.

"No way! Don't give up your deck fer me! Beat this jerk down, Yug! You've done it before, you can do it again." I called out. I had faith in Yugi. I had faith in the Heart of the Cards, which Yugi had taught me. The cards had their own presence in each game, and I knew that as long as Yugi remained true to it, he would never lose a duel.

"You remain adamant? Then let me inform you of the last condition; if you do not duel me right now, I will take your mutt from you... and I will break him. " He smiled darkly as he spoke. My eyes widened. What the hell was Kaiba talking about? What was wrong with him? What kind of a sick, twisted freak was he? Or maybe he was just egging Yugi on, the way that Yugi said the blue-eyed boy tried to attack me through endless sneers and psychological challenges. Clearly this was some form of blackmail. This couldn't be legal, Kaiba blatantly threatening to harm me...

"Very well, Kaiba... if you persist in this manner, then I believe I have no other choice." My friend said. Suddenly he turned around to face me. "Joey, do you trust me?" His eyes seemed to pierce deeply into my soul right then. It was as though for that brief second, our connection grew even stronger. As though Yugi had transcended his normal human form. As though he were some other being altogether. And who was I to say no?

"Of course I do Yug!" How naïve I was. I should have guessed then what might have happened. But how could I possibly have predicted? How could I have even known how fateful those words of affirmation were? I was so blind. So immature. So ignorant.

"Kaiba. You will have your duel. I accept all of your conditions. I have no fear, for your cheap tactics do not scare me in the slightest, they only reveal you for the coward that you truly are. The Heart of the Cards shall be my guide." Yugi was like a graceful hunter at work, swift as a wildcat and fierce as one as well. It was certainly admirable how he lunged at Kaiba so violently, and yet remained completely calm and collected silmultaneously. It was interesting how the game was so much of a mental game as well as a logical one based on the cards.

"You may tout your cheap and false philosophy about the aesthetics and potency of some mysterious power, but I will be the one to win this duel, Yugi." Kaiba sneered triumphantly in response. He seemed so confident. But I didn't think he stood a chance against my friend. I mean, I knew Kaiba was a pretty amazing duelist with great strategy and good cards, but Yugi was the best.

"As you wish. It's time to duel!" My friend replied, with a fire raging in his voice as one of the greatest Duel Monsters battles of all time was about to take place.


	3. A Dismal Duel : 2

**.: Deal With the Devil :.**

**Published:** Nov : 17 : 04   
**Pairings:** Seto x Jou   
**Archive? **Just tell me first, I'm likely to let you if your site is nice.   
**Disclaimer:** Do I look like own _Yu-Gi-Oh_? Exactly. (If I did, I'm sure Jou would be the main character and would only wear swimming trunks.)

**A DismalDuel : 2**

.: Author's Note :.

_Bows I'd like to begin by thanking you all for your kind words! 17 reviews in less than 2 days! Wow! It is a great honor to be here writing for you all again. I'd like to thank my Mom and Jesu-... Kidding. He he.. Actually, I'd like more than anything to thank you all. While, as always, I don't write solely for reviews (if I did I'd be doing HiC and not this. LoL), I do greatly appreciate them a lot._

_So I've decided, as you will see, to play this chapter out, as suggested, with some focus on the card game, but mostly on the emotions of the players. This is the first time I've narrated a duel and I haven't written fiction barely at all in the last year and a bit, so I'm a little nervous. Please forgive any unsightly errors, I'm trying to base it off the way the game works in the TV show. I did do some research (I was up pretty late last night, actually!) trying to make sure the entire duel made sense. The worst part was my friends kept phoning / contacting me on MSN, so it seemed like every time I sat down to write anything they would drive me nuts. LoL_

_And if you think that a character attacking with four monsters at once is absurd, I know in Episode 133, when Kaiba is facing Yugi he has all three of his Blue Eyes (separately, they're not in Ultimate Dragon form) attack silmultaneously. And Rex Raptor's Red Eyes Black Dragon's Inferno Fire Blast torches two monsters in Episode 11: Trial By Red Eyes, so I figure more than one monster can attack in one turn, and more than one monster can be defeated in one turn._

_Looking back at it, I can see why Holograms of the monsters / having the monsters come to life in the show is so much fun. It's rather dull to write about them slapping cards angrily onto the table. LOL _

Also, the line "What is it that you can see but cannot see?" according toone of my sources appears in the sub of the Episode, First Duel, and reappears in the Episodes Duel Identity (1-2).

_Also, sorry if this chapter is like... 1300 words shorter than the last one. Believe me, it took a long time to type up the duel. T.T;;_

**   
Responses to Reviews:**

To **Johnny-Depp-Luv**, **Kumori Sakusha formerly Saelbu**, **Macduff's Mistress**, **Ragna01**, **Yukiko-Angel**, **Flame Swordswoman**, **Felidae**, and** Chika** **of the high Mts**, here's your update! Thanks for supporting this fanfic by reviewing it!

**Zatken**: If you mean "Jou" vs. "Joey" I plan to use "Joey" for casual speak / what friends call him usually, "Jounouchi" for more official / formal situations, and "Jou" as a term of endearment and "Wheeler" as derogatory / insulting.

**solarsenshi:** o.k. Highlights of the duel it is!

**I-love-bakura1489:** Eee! Thanks for the in-depth critique.

**Tara.B Amy: **Thanks for the compliments. blush Thanks for the advice of basing it on the emotions of the duelists. Well, if it wasn't clear, the story is set after Duelist Kingdom (preferably right after the Otogi episodes, and before Battle City. I'm probably mistaken (I haven't seen Duelist Kingdom eps in a while) but from what I remember, the episode before Yugi goes into Pegasus' mansion he freaks out about his uncontrollable Yami, but it didn't seem to me like he ever got it across clearly to his friends that there were two sides of him... that never even really happened until the end, when Yugi fought Pegasus, and even then... Jou's not the brightest bulb, in my opinion, so I'm not so sure he caught on completely to the complexity of the situation. And I'm pretty sure they didn't know Yami's identity as a Pharaoh until ep 54 of the dub, in other words, the beginning of the Battle City eps when that gets properly explained. And no, I don't plan to do Seto's P.O.V. I prefer Jou, I think I can relate more to him myself.

**Misura:** Well, I did some research AND I did it as quickly as I could, so I hope this chapter is speedy enough for people! I'm sure there must be a lot of flaws in the Duel though, but now you'll get to see who lost and why and who won and why.

(all errors held within this text are the fault of my Philosophy Prof, who bored me to sleep before I wrote this.)

-

"For my first move, I summon the Celtic Guardian to the field in defense mode!" Yugi pronounced, as he flipped down a card with an image of an elfin warrior with blond hair and a green and silver helmet with a red jewel centered above its forehead. The figure held a huge blade with a golden handle, and was caped in a navy cloak. I stared at the wooden table ahead. Yugi was off to a strong start, that was for sure. Well, this was it, I supposed. It was then or never. Yugi would finally settle this thing with Kaiba once in for all, by grinding the arrogant jerk to dust!

"Hah, 1400 attack points is the best you can do? I play Lord of Dragons! And, I add both of my Flutes of Summoning Dragon. That means I can summon all three of my Blue Eyes White Dragons, as well as Hyozanryu, giving me 9000 attack points with only my Blue Eyes alone!" He said with a dry smirk. What? No way! How could Kaiba already have all three of his Blue Eyes White Dragons on the field in one turn? That was absurd! He must've cheated! I wanted to laugh, it was so ridiculous. I'm sure Yugi must have felt the same way, but he was not one to be taken too aback. He had defeated Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon before at Duelist Kingdom by fusing it with his Mammoth Graveyard, and I was certain he could destroy it again.

"I play this card face down, and play Swords of Revealing Light! This paralyzes all your dragons for three turns." My friend replied to his brown-haired rival, placing the magic card that depicted glowing swords down.

"A cowardly move, indeed, Yugi. Were you so fearful that my dragons would destroy you that you had to stop them from moving?" Kaiba let out a sickening laugh, then narrowed his eyes at my friend. "Don't worry, I will be sure to crush you with them either now... or later. But for now, I lay this card face down." The cerulean eyed boy laid a Duel Monsters card on the table as he spoke.

"Very well, Kaiba. I lay a card of my own face down, and play Curse of Dragon, in attack mode!" The King of Games replied after a few moments of thought.

"Come on, Yugi. You're playing cards with barely just two thousand life points! That is pathetic. Surely you can do better than that!" My friend's rival jeered, "Well, at any rate, I play the magic card, Polymerisation. My dragons may be paralyzed, but I can still combine them into one... Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! And you only have one more turn before I destroy your pathetic monsters with it!" That jerk! Who did he think he was? There was no way he could beat my friend, Yugi. I knew that Yugi would think of something, he always did! There had to be some way out of it.

"Not so fast, Kaiba. I have one single card in my deck that I know can destroy your so called 'Ultimate' Dragon." Yugi said, unflinchingly.

"You lie!" The brown haired boy sneered back in disbelief.

"No, and I trust in the Heart of the Cards to guide me to it." The boy with multi-colored hair said with determination in his voice. He paused for a moment, and closed his eyes, as though truly concentrating on the cards. I knew exactly how my friend felt. Every time I needed that winning card, I closed my eyes and put my faith into my deck, and the strange magic that seemed to flow through them. Somehow, if one focused, the correct card would appear!

"Give it a rest, Yugi. You can stop your little parlor tricks now, because we all know you can't destroy my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon in one turn! There's no Deux ex Machina in Duel Monsters." The brunette dismissed the entire thing. Well, that was just like Kaiba; he never understood a good thing. He was foolish to throw away a concept like the one that Yugi and my other friends followed. We always knew that if we had faith in the cards and each other, we could come through! Then again, Kaiba didn't seem to have much faith in friendship either, he only seemed to have faith in himself.

The focal point of everything was Yugi now, as he strained his hand to reach for that card. His hand seemed to shake as he slowly placed his hand on the card at the top of his deck. His fingers gracefully slid over it, and the top bent slightly, slipping between his index finger and his thumb. The motion with which he pulled it out was one of triumph, as though he already knew he had the right card. He stared at it blankly for a moment, then his look of concentration faded into a smirk.

"So much for your words, Kaiba. Prepare to watch the doom of your Ultimate Dragon." My friend gloated, slapping the card, which had been hidden moments before, down onto the table. "I play the magic card, Diffusion. This reverses the process of your Polymerisation, dividing your Ultimate Dragon back into three separate entities. I may not be able to defeat your dragon as a whole, but I shall destroy it piece by piece. I also place Gaia the Fierce Knight in attack mode, ending my turn." My friend replied, only this time it was he who was smug.

"My... Blue-Eyes!" He looked shocked. Surprise quickly turned to cold, calculated anger. Kaiba narrowed his eyes into a venomous glare. "I place another card face down and end my turn." The brown-haired boy spat out. I was enjoying every last moment of this! Yugi was winning, just as I knew he would. He took what seemed like an impossible situation, and totally turned it around on the jerk, Kaiba. It was Kaiba's turn to feel downgraded for once, it was Kaiba's turn to get beaten down.

"Speaking of Polymerisation, I play a Polymerisation magic card of my own, fusing Gaia the Fierce Knight and my Curse of Dragon, to create Gaia the Dragon Champion! Kaiba, it looks like today is your lucky day, because I also summon my Dark Magician to the field!" My friend placed the card with the picture of his favorite Duel Monster on it down. The Dark Magician was clad in almost completely violets and purples, with an equally as elaborately decorated green staff in hand.

"I play Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode, and end my turn. Let me remind you that despite my dragons being divided, they will still defeat your miserable Dragon Warrior and elf." Kaiba stated solemnly. I wondered what trick Kaiba had up his sleeve, placing two cards face down and Saggi the Dark Clown in attack mode when he already had his four dragons in attack mode as well. The last time the brunette had played Saggi the Dark Clown, I remembered him using the Crush Card trap! That was not a good sign! I didn't know whether or not to warn my friend, but I hoped that he recognized the situation as well.

"Yugi! What is it that can be seen, but cannot be seen?" I called out to him, remembering the advice which had helped me during my duel with Mai back in Duelist Kingdom, and what had helped Yugi when facing Pegasus. I was hoping he would catch on that I was talking about Kaiba's face down card. Clearly, Yugi could see the card, but he couldn't see which card in particular it was. Luckily, it seemed as though he did.

"I avoid the open target of Saggi, and reveal my face down card- Spellbinding Circle! This causes one of your Blue Eyes White Dragons to be both paralyzed and lose 700 attack points! Now, Gaia Dragon Champion! Attack the Blue Eyes!" Yugi commanded, forcefully. For a brief flickering second, it seemed as though my friend was no longer my friend, but instead some great warlord, raising his hand into the air while an army of thousands of men swarmed past him, raging toward Kaiba. But Kaiba stood his ground. In fact, Kaiba stood his ground far too well.

"No so fast, Yugi. If you were worried about Saggi being a trick like last time we dueled, then you were correct. One of my face down cards is indeed the Crush Card, and I set that situation up purposely so that even if you tried to call my bluff, there would be no bluff to call and I had protected myself. But while you have been so hasty to refocus your attempts on my Blue Eyes, it seems you have forgotten my _other_ face down card. It happens to be something I call Trap Displacement, which allows me to switch the effect of a trap card, namely your Spellbinding Circle. Since I place your Spellbinding Circle onto your Dragon Champion, my Blue Eyes not only regains its 700 attack points, but also causes your Dragon Champion to lose that same amount! A fair revenge, wouldn't you say? In fact, Blue Eyes! Destroy that pathetic Dragon Warrior now! _White Lightning Attack!_" Kaiba proclaimed. "And while I'm at it, I'll have my other two Blue Eyes White Dragons and my Hyozanryu destroy your Celtic Guardian and your Dark Magician!" Kaiba let out a triumphant laugh. "And that, Yugi, brings your life points down to zero! I have finally defeated you! You! The King of Games! I clutch victory in my hands! So much for your Dark Magician and your Dragon Warrior! A lot of good they did! All you could do was worry about your mutt of a friend, am I right? Unfortunately for you, Saggi the Dark Clown was not the only decoy! I wanted to put so much on the line that you would become too nervous to duel properly or even think properly! It looks as though my plan worked perfectly."

As I looked in Yugi's general direction, he looked absolutely moritified. Crushed. I hadn't seen him look so distraught since Duelist Kingdom! I felt like my heart was going to burst for my friend. I wanted to cry, but tears couldn't come to my eyes. Yugi looked paralyzed, as though he was unable to move or speak. A few of our other friends who had been cheering him on rushed over to see if he was okay.

Oh, what a blunder it was! I should never have trusted anyone with my life... I mean, Yugi was a great duelist, but just then I realized the evil of the brown haired boy! He had put something so important at stake for Yugi, that my friend lost his concentration and couldn't even focus; what the cerulean eyed boy had done to my friends just was not fair at all.

"Can it, Kaiba! Just because you won a duel don't mean yer some great hero. Just listen to yerself, babbling on! You sound like a-" I shouted in my friend's defense, only to be cut off by the brunette boy himself, who grabbed me rather roughly by the neck, and clenched a fist full of my hair. The first thought that registered into my mind was: what the hell is wrong with this guy?

"Is that so, mutt?" His smirk turned into a very evil grin, "Well, you'd better learn to keep your barking down, now that you belong to me!" The brunette's eyes seemed to glitter with a strange light. He was absolutely mad! What the hell was wrong with him? I should have seen from the start that Kaiba's demands were insane... I mean, Yugi had no ownership of me to give to Kaiba, right? So then what was with all this talking of 'owning'?

"Now, Yugi. Hand over your deck, like we agreed." Kaiba sneered at an absolutely crestfallen Yugi. I stepped in front of my friend, between the two duelists. The both with icy eyes was taking the whole thing way too far, and I knew that Yugi would go to any lengths to follow what he had agreed to.

"No, Kaiba. This ain't right. Most of those cards are from his grandpa's deck! You already got what ya wanted, so give it a rest." I shouted at Kaiba. The brunette looked stunned for a moment; I guess he hadn't been expecting that from me, especially after my friend's defeat. But a moment later, he shook himself back to sense.

"Out of my way, Wheeler. I have come this far, and I'm not about to let a mutt like you prevent me from getting what I want; now get the hell out of my way before I do something you're going to regret." He sneered as he shoved my aside rather carelessly. I plummeted to the ground as a high-pitched voice shot out of the crowd.

"Seto! Don't do this! Joey's right! You've beaten Yugi, now let's go home." It was Mokuba, of course, Kaiba's younger sibling. His eyes were a darker blue than his older brother's, and his black hair had a sheen of dark blue to it in the naked sunlight. Kaiba paused as his younger brother spoke up.

"Yugi, you've gotten your lucky break this time, but next time I _will_... take your deck from you." Kaiba scowled at the other boy who hung his head. I had just begun to climb back to my feet, wiping the dust off my shirt as the brown haired boy swiveled around on his feet and came right at me! "Come on, mutt. It's time to teach you not to talk back your master." His icy blue eyes seemed to flicker for a brief second as he spoke. I gulped. I didn't have any idea what his intentions were, but I didn't like them.

"No way, this is ridiculous Kaiba! You don't 'own' me!" I practically screamed at the boy who stood directly in front of me. "And I'm not goin' anywhere wit you!" I raised a vehement fist. Kaiba's glare turned into a wry smirk. Mocking me! The bastard was always mocking me! Well, I would teach him not to do that any longer!

"No, Jou. Kaiba won the duel, I suggest that you go comply to his demands." My friend said in a very small, quiet voice, which I didn't think I had ever heard him speak in before. It totally threw my off guard. It was the first thing I had heard my friend speak since the duel had ended. I gritted my teeth. Well, if Yugi wanted this, then it was what I would do.

"Fine, Kaiba. What the heck do ya want?" I sneered back at the boy, waiting for a reply of some kind or another. I wasn't even thinking that arguing with him might just make him angrier, I was too upset with what had just occurred to think straight at all.

"You'll see." He said, putting his deck back into his metal briefcase, and snatching the metal case from the ground. He then continued, grabbing me by the collar of my shirt and yanking me through the crowd. I tried to cry out in protest, but my friends were all too busy with Yugi to even really notice, and Yugi himself didn't seem to be in much of a state to do anything. My cries seemed to reach the deaf ears of the crowd, who was beginning to disperse rather slowly. By the time we came out of the crowd the brunette was leading me to his limo, his younger brother trailing after us. I stared blankly at the limo for a few moments. How had I gotten myself into this mess?

"Get in, dog." The brown haired boy said matter-of-factly. I shook my head and sighed heavily to myself as I reached out to open the door. This was going to be a very long day indeed.


	4. Untitled and Unfinished so Far: 3

**.: Deal With the Devil :.**

**Published:** Feb: 20: 05  
**Pairings:** Seto x Jou  
**Archive? **Just tell me first, I'm likely to let you if your site is nice.  
**Disclaimer:** _If you think I own YGO you probably need to start taking medication again. If you have a problem with puppyshipping, then please go find a nice hole to die in._

**Don't Even Have a Title Yet: 3******

.: Author's Note :.

_Update: April 28th, 2005 coughs wow. I added.. 1 paragraph -.-;; Ok. I'll try and add more soon ._

**  
Responses to Reviews:**

**Coming Soon When this Page is Updated...**

(all errors held within this text are the fault of the crazy old cat lady, who bombarded me with her evil felines while I was typing. Someone stop her in the name of my muse, which is bubble tea!)

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The limo ride felt a lot more like a hearse ride. Or at least a ride in a limo to a funeral. I supposed that only dead people rode in hearses, after all. Then again, who knew what condition I might be in after Kaiba was done with whatever sinister plans he had for me. I cringed to think of the tortures he could inflict. Well, at least Mokuba was in the vehicle with us for the time being, and I was pretty certain Kaiba wouldn't actually injure me with his little brother around. Then again, I wasn't about to put anything past Kaiba. I had always hoped he'd loosen up after Duelist Kingdom... you know, after Pegasus was defeated and his younger brother was rescued. But he didn't. He just used that as more artillery to add to his arsenal against Yugi. And now he had defeated Yugi... so what more was there for him to possibly do? Hadn't he already explained that the purpose of including me in the prize was to mess with my friend's head so that he would be unable to duel properly? Obviously he had other things in mind. Probably either embarrassing ones or painful ones. Or both.

I was actually quite surprised at how quiet the younger of the two Kaiba brothers was. He had pulled out some kind of hand held game device and was silently playing it. His older brother, on the other hand, just there, facing me directly. Those icy cold eyes seemed to penetrate right through me. I felt very uncomfortable, the way he was eyeing me. What did that stare mean? Was he angry with me for always acting out against him? Was I supposed to just let him walk over my friends? Was I supposed to let him taunt me? Was he still gloating from his victory from the earlier duel with Yugi? It was unnerving enough to think that he had beaten the undefeatable Yugi, but did he really have to make it worse by staring at me like that? What seemed like forever was fortunately a fairly short ride. Mokuba took no notice of the cold and enigmatic glares that his older brother was shooting in my general direction. I kind of wished he would look up and stop his older brother, since he seemed to be the only one who had any kind of power over what the brunette took into actual consideration.

I never quite understood that, actually. It seemed as though Kaiba was a completely different person at times when his younger brother was concerned. Sure, the ruthless cerulean eyed boy was determined back at Duelist Kingdom to help his brother, and my hopes that he would calm down after his brother was rescued vanished when he became even more determined to defeat my friend, but there was a clear difference when he spoke to his younger brother. Though it hadn't been an extremely long period of time, Mokuba, too had been influenced by his experiences at the island and after it. Kaiba's younger brother appeared to be growing up. While Kaiba acted indifferent to it, I began to wonder if he was really hurting deep inside, somewhere, at the idea that his younger brother was becoming independent. The one person Kaiba cared about, the one person Kaiba was to take care of in life was beginning to show signs that he didn't need his older brother. I wondered if that frightened Kaiba. I wondered if any feelings could actually pierce that frost-bitten soul of his, if his icy heart could be shattered.

My thoughts came to a rude halt as the limo eased up a driveway to a huge and overly elaborate gate. Just what I expected Kaiba to have. The gate was electrically controlled, and whether or not there was a guard there, I couldn't tell. As I snuck a glance back at the brunette boy, I noticed that he finally had closed his eyes, though he was hardly relaxing. He always seemed to be worrying about something, always sitting up straight as if he was in a business meeting or class constantly. It was rather disconcerting, but I dismissed the thought. I turned my head back to the window to see the gates slowly peeling open, as though it were a painful experience for them. I wondered if the metal contraption was going through as much pain as I was. Somehow I doubted it.

"Massive compared to your shamble of a house, mutt?" The CEO stated. It was more of a rhetorical question than anything, I figured. I was clenched my fists, trying to remain calm. My breathing was already growing erratic, whether from anxiety or anger... or a combination of the two, I was unsure. I knew that I couldn't fight Kaiba with his little brother in the car, or in a limo either, for that matter. I also knew that if I was going to pick a fight with Kaiba, I'd have to know exactly when are where to do it, perhaps catch the jerk off-guard or something; that might be the only way. I'm certain that my face flushed quite red as I could feel heat rising in my face, and the more I tried to stop it, the less control I seemed to have. Not that I ever had much control over my body or my feelings. I knew I had a fiery personality, one that was hard for even me to tame. Often I ran into situations rashly and often erratically, without giving things time to make proper decisions. I was also given to taking huge chances as an idealist. Kaiba was the opposite. Icy, calm, rarely losing his cool. For instance, even in the duel he had just had with Yugi, when my friend used a Diffusion card on the brunette's Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, Kaiba was a little shocked, but held himself pretty well. If I had been in that situation I was certain I would have been freaking out.

It wasn't very long before the limo slowed to a complete halt infront of the mansion. Somehow I had been half-expecting some cryptic, spooky mansion. You know? The forboding kind? With dark, twisted, gnarled tree-branches hanging across the top like a vicious canopy, ensnaring and blotting out the light, so that only thin shafts of moonlight could sift through; an owl would hoot eerily from above, and the flutter of wings would leave you in almost complete silence. A creaky, rusting old gate that was as twisted as the branches above, and a dead garden of withered grass completed the scene. Every five minutes, as if on cue, a lightning bolt would streak across the sky. Well, that's what I had dreamed up, anyway. It turned out, in reality, that the Kaiba family's mansion was quite picturesque. It wasn't some gothic or counter-reformation architectural masterpiece like I had envisioned, but rather, a beautiful white palace of pillars and balconies, upon which the sun dazzled. The glare from the white building radiated like a fountain of solar energy, so much that as Kaiba's personal chauffeur opened the door, and I began to step out, I had to raise my arm to my eyes to keep from being blinded.


End file.
